International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social SRINIVAS

Sciences (IJMTS), ISSN: 2581-6012, Vol. 3, No. 2, December 2018. PUBLICATION

Changing Trends of Divorce in India: Issues &

Concerns
Pinto Vincent1 & Laveena D’Mello2
1
Freston Knowledge Foundation®, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
E-mail: Vincentpinto79@gmail.com
2
Assistant Professor, Social Work Department, College of Social Science and Humanities,
Srinivas University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
E-mail: lavynoronha@gmail.com

Type of the Paper: Research Paper.

Type of Review: Peer Reviewed.
Indexed in: OpenAIRE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2203824.
Google Scholar Citation: IJMTS

How to Cite this Paper:

Pinto Vincent., & D’Mello, Laveena. (2018). Changing Trends of Divorce in India: Issues &
Concerns. International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social Sciences (IJMTS),
3(2), 151-157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2203824.

International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social Sciences (IJMTS)

A Refereed International Journal of Srinivas University, India.

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International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social SRINIVAS
Sciences (IJMTS), ISSN: 2581-6012, Vol. 3, No. 2, December 2018. PUBLICATION

Changing Trends of Divorce in India: Issues & Concerns

Pinto Vincent1 & Laveena D’Mello2
1
Freston Knowledge Foundation®, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
E-mail: Vincentpinto79@gmail.com
2
Assistant Professor, Social Work Department, College of Social Science and Humanities,
Srinivas University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
E-mail: lavynoronha@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Few years ago, divorce was considered as one of the rare social phenomena in the Indian context.
As the society started taking a new shape due to modernization and technological advancement,
the rigid boundaries governing traditional Indian life began to replace with the new outlook as
well as lifestyle. It gave a momentum when women took up employment that increased the
incompatibility of gender because of the change in the position of women. Further, changing
demographic contexts from rural lifestyle to city or metros,shift from extended family system to
nuclear family, selection of spouse in contrary to arranged marriage are the features of changed
scenario in India. In a modern society, dissolution of marriage derives from the idea that living
an independent life is better than keeping marriages in terms of personal welfare. This article
draws on the issues and concerns of marriages due to the changing scenario in socio-cultural life,
technological outburst through social media and other forms media, influence of west, etc that
has challenged the durability of the marriages in India. The aim of this study is to examine the
recent trends on divorce. And the objectives are to know the socio-cultural factors that influence
on the divorce rates and to suggest possible strategies for reducing or solve the problems of
divorce in the family. 50 male and 50 female respondents studied in detail in this research study.
Keywords: Incompatibility, Socio-cultural factors, Divorce, Women, Marital instability, and
Counsellors.
1. INTRODUCTION : traditional definitions and conceptualizations of
‘family’ have changed due to the sudden
The family is generally regarded as a
changes in the society. We witness a steady
major social institution of man' social life.
change in the value systems that influence
Family is a unit of the society created by the
marriage, personal development and family
sacred bonding of the two through marriage.
relationships over the last ten decades. Divorce
Though the family structures have changed over
is not looked down upon in the society today.
the years they have always retained the
While we know divorce was not an open
sacredness of the bond and the purpose of the
discussed topic, there is greater societal
marriage and the family. However, families
acceptance of divorcees in the modern families
today are experiencing unprecedented change
today. Over the last 40 years an increased
and are coping with a variety of problems, both
acceptance of divorce has influenced major
old and new. Technology accompanying
changes in our attitudes on marriage as well as
industrialization and urbanization, with
family life. During the 1970s, the divorce rate
increased population density, frequently is
doubled as young folks' attitudes on fidelity,
identified as making daily life more complex
chastity and commitment became very different
and impersonal. Gender roles have blurred,
from those of their parents [1, 2].
traditional values are being questioned, and even

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2. CHANGE IN THE SOCIETY : giving value to marriages & for petty reasons,
their married life fall apart. It is believed that
The change created less of an incentive to work
Indians lead a more stable and contented married
out marital difficulties. In recent times, women
life. Compared to developed countries like UK,
of India have gone through a major cultural
US, etc, the divorce rate in India is quite low.
shift. The societal changes have created a major
The US has an astounding 50% while India has a
influence on men and women especially with
divorce rate of 11%. Britain’s divorce rate
industrialization and urbanization in the 20th
soared six-fold between 1961 and 1991. But
century, and post-World War II when women
from 1991 to 2001, India has seen a rise in
entered the workplace. In response to the spurt
divorce rate, especially in the urban areas. The
in the economy, women are now more educated,
rate has gone up from 7.4% to 11%. The
outgoing and self-reliant.
question arises while looking at the position of
A key feature of the Indian socio-cultural and
the divorce rates that if we are truly leading a
marriage system is the strict policing of
contented married life in the current
sexuality and proscription of sexuality to within
society?Family as believed as an institution is a
marriage for women. A woman who is involved
basic building block of society. Hence the fear
in premarital sex is considered as corrupting the
is that Divorce weakens the base itself. Children
purity of caste. Family and caste councils
of the divorced parents are affected to greater
therefore have assumed the role of policing
degrees which in turn affect the next generation.
women’s sexuality. This is yet another challenge
Wallenstein notes, "It's clear that we've created a
on the stability of marriages. The trend on
new kind of society never before seen in human
selection of spouse is changing from arranged
culture. Silently and unconsciously, we have
type to love matching. Further, the use of
created a culture of divorce." In a crowded
technology in matchmaking through
courtroom on the city's outskirts, the once
matrimonial websites while offering the
unthinkable is reality: dozens of couples – rich
potential to transgress traditional boundaries
and poor, educated and barely literate – seek
seems to have re-entrenched traditional values in
divorce for reasons as varied as domestic
spouse selection. The shift towards greater
violence to a simple inability to live together.
choice in partner selection and ‘companionate’
Just a decade ago, divorce was a dirty word in
marriages in which conjugal power relationship
socially conservative India [5, 6]. The fear of
is less hierarchical could potentially impact
social isolation, a sense of duty to extended
marriage stability. In arranged marriage stronger
families – who likely arranged the marriage in
marital and emotional support will be provided
the first place – and financial dependence put
by the family which might promote
nearly unbearable pressure on couples to stay
reconciliation and help to heal marital wounds.
together. Dating among twenty something is
Professional rivalry between the partners is
growing popular, love matches (as opposed to
another cause of divorce. Either the man files
arranged marriages) don't provoke the family
for a divorce due to ego issues when he sees his
scandals they once did and divorce is no longer
wife more successful than him professionally
out of bounds. In the 1980s, New Delhi had two
[3]. Or a professionally successful woman files
courts that dealt with divorce [7, 8]. Today there
for a divorce when she sees that her husband’s
are 16. A new Indian matchmaking website
position is not at par with hers. Yet other
Secondshaadi.com, or second marriage, now
probability for divorce is extra-marital affairs
targets divorcees and widowers. A search on it
resulting in divorce. Lack of compatibility and
throws up thousands of divorcees, most in the
sluggish sex life between the two are also major
25-to-35 age bracket. As the society started
causes of divorce. With economic prosperity &
taking a new shape due to modernization and
rising incomes, with increased ego between the
technological advancement, the rigid boundaries
partners & professional competition, the number
governing traditional Indian life began to replace
of divorce cases is increasing in India[4].Today
with the new outlook as well as lifestyle. It gave
most young married couples have stopped

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International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social
Sciences (IJMTS), ISSN: 2581-6012, Vol. 3, No. 2, December 2018.
a momentum especially when women started
entering into employment that leads to the
incompatibility of gender roles between men and
women [9]. Further, changing demographic
contexts from rural to metro life, the shift from
joint family to nuclear family resulting in the
individualized notion, selection of spouse, etc.
have contributed to the increased unstable
marriages in India. Finding the right home for a
son or daughter is a matter of great family
prestige. Ending a marriage is often not just
about a couple going their separate ways but of
two families, sometimes with business or
political ties, disentangling themselves. The
shame of a divorced child also makes it harder
for parents to find suitable matches for their
other children. But that is changing too [10, 11].
3. GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE IN INDIA :
In most Western nations, there are
approximately 16 distinct reasons for which
divorces are granted. India has different divorce
laws for different religions. Almost all the
religions have their own divorce laws in India
which are used among themselves. There are
separate laws for inter-cast or inter-religion
marriages. Hindu (including Sikhs, Jains and
Buddhists): Hindu Marriage Act, 1955,
Muslims:Dissolution of Muslim Marriages
Act, 1939, Christians:Indian Divorce Act,
1869, Parsis:The Parsi Marriage and Divorce
Act, 1936, Inter-Cast or Inter-Religion: Special
Marriage Act[12, 13].
4. RESULTS &DISCUSSION :
Age of the respondents is one of the important
variables in the present study. While analysing
on this variable, the data shows that vast
majority (70%) of the respondents fall between
the age group of 30-39 years. Majority of the
divorce cases in male was seen after 35 years,
however, in female majority of the divorce cases
were seen before 35 years. Education is another
important variable associated with divorce. In
tune with the general perception that a greater
number of divorces accompanies the educational
status of women, it is reported that women with
higher education took recourse to divorce to end
marital incompatibility. Therefore, the
educational status of the couples involved in
Pinto Vincent et al, (2018); www.srinivaspublication.com
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divorce was inquired into. In the study vast
majority of the respondents are literate. Among
the respondents 4% of male and 8% of female
are post graduates. The percentage of
undergraduate women is almost double than that
of men. The data also indicates that female
respondents were better educated than male.
There is much relationship between occupation
and marital and family life. The study of
occupations today lays so much emphasis on the
individual and his/her personality that it is
worthwhile to note its role in marital discord.
The information concerning the occupation of
the respondents explains that 42% were private
employees. However, when we see the male and
female respondents’ separately highest
frequency of male i.e. 40 % were self employed
and 48 % female were private employees.
Nature of residence is an important aspect as far
as marital adjustment and divorce are concerned.
So, the nature of residence of the respondents
was enquired into. The study shows 62% of the
respondents belong to the rural family origin
while 24% were of semi-Urban in origin and the
rest 14 % were of Urban in origin. The marital
disruptions also related to the types of family,
whether joint or nuclear. Vast majority 54% of
the present study lived in nuclear families. 44%
joint families and the rest 2% were belonging to
extended family. However, when we see both the
male and female respondents separately majority
66% of female respondents were from nuclear
families and major group 58% of the male
respondents were from joint families. It shows
that for female who were brought up in nuclear
families it is difficult to adjust in joint families
and male who were adjusted to joint families
most of the time have difficulty in getting along
with his wife. In India free movement of the
spouses is not allowed, especially in the presence
of the elders even now.Numerous studies have
shown that couples with children are less likely
to divorce when compared to the couples without
children. Divorce is more common among
childless couples. Child acts as a cementing
factor between the spouses. Many spouses
especially females tolerate hardships and
problems for the sake of children. In the absence
of children, the motivation to stay together under
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International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social
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stress and strain is considerably less. In this study
66% of the respondents did not have children
goes to prove among other things, that
childlessness and divorce have inter-relationship.
In other words, childlessness facilitated easy
divorce. Further in majority of the cases, the
strain on the marital relationship started within
the first year of marriage, and the natural love
and affection starts deteriorating soon. Of course,
there are a few cases of impotency and a few
cases where the couple could not have children,
even after staying together for quite some time.
However, it is alarming to note that 34% of the
respondents had children.
Today factors like education, employment,
economic stability makes people to think for
divorce, before going to give chance for second
thought about the future. In this study 58% of
the cases were initiated by women. Among male
& female respondents we see separately in
highest frequency of male respondents 54% said
that they initiated the filing of divorce petition.
However, among the female respondents highest
frequency 72% of female initiated filing of
divorce petition. In this study, the number of
female going to the court first time for divorce is
more 58% than that of the male 42%. In some
cases, the husband and wife together filed the
divorce petition. Before 1976 an application
could not be submitted jointly. In some other
cases, the divorce was granted on mutual
consent.The result reveals that the major cause
of divorce is Unwillingness to compromise.
There were 77% respondents who felt this way.
Second in importance was not satisfied with
each other 54% respondents. This was reacted to
by poor communication of the spouses 52%,
quarrelsome disposition of spouses 48%, Ego
between partners 38%, Interference by third
parties 36% respondents respectively. An
interesting feature reveals that the financial
causes and urban- rural differences as the base
for divorce. Only 16% of the respondents felt
that the problems of finances can lead to
divorce.
In Judicial Dissolution of Marriage ground on
which the court sanctions the divorce decree is
an important factor. In this study 30% of the
cases of divorce was granted through mutual
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consent. In the other 70% cases the grounds for
divorce were either of the one which was
specified in the Marriage Acts. 16% was of
adultery, 14% was of cruelty, 10% was of
desertion, 6% was of impotency, 6% was of non
restitution of conjugal rights, 2% each of
impotency and religious conversion and 16% of
other causes. When we take the male and female
cases separately in 36% of the male respondents
the decree was granted on mutual consent
followed by desertion 20% and adultery 14%.
However, in female highest frequency 24% of
the cases the decree was granted on cruelty from
the side of their spouse. Fonseca has pointed out
that “the typical kind of joint family or in some
cases extended family has been the reason for
conflict and has led to dissatisfaction among
many modern couples”. Vast majority 54% of
the respondents of the present study lived in
nuclear families. 44% were in the category of
joint families and the rest 2% were belonging to
extended family.
The study results show that a huge group of
respondents(88%)had a positive acceptance
from their family members, friends and society.
The study states that the highest number of
divorced women had full sympathy from their
parent and friends. Due to the strong social
bondage, divorcee receives good treatment from
parents & others in India. Divorce is a personal
tragedy. The gravity and implications of anguish
& pain depends on the treatment he/she receives
from the society. After having received such a
great defeat and failure in personal life, many
people shrink from other people altogether.
Some avoid people for a long time and then try
to come back gradually. Reaction of the
communities concerned towards the divorcees is
very significant, because, it is the community
which determines the status of the individual in
the community.
5. SUGGESTIONS :
The findings of this study have great
implications for social work practice, social
scientists and other helping professions,
particularly in the area of measures to reduce
family violence and maintenance of marital
stability. Having identified and discussed those
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factors in relation to divorce rates, it is pertinent
to stress two general strategies for responding to
the problem of divorce. They are: Strategies to
prevent divorce and strengthen marriages, and
Strategy to strengthen post-divorce families.In
the first case, one strategy is to promote couples
to participate in premarital education before
getting married. The policy makers advocate
strengthening marriage by reforming divorce
laws to make divorce harder to obtain. And in
the second case, negative consequences of
divorce for children may be minimized. This is
achieved when divorcing couples are
encouraged to participate in ‘divorce mediation’.
In divorce mediation divorcing couples meet
with ‘a neutral third party’, a ‘mediator’, who
helps them reduce issues of property division,
child custody, child support, and that encourages
cooperation between the couples. Marriage or
family counselling is provided by a variety of
professionals, including social workers,
psychologists, etc. Helped to understand
behaviours and coping patterns, establish more
productive communication patterns, resolve
problems and support each other as family
members. In almost all situations where family
member is experiencing a problem or
undergoing a stressful change such as
sustenance abuse, family violence, rape, a
serious illness, death of a family member,
divorce or remarriage; family counselling can
help the entire family reinforce positive changes,
and address negative patterns appropriately.
6. CONCLUSION :
With the new strains and challenges that have
emerged for the Indian family, the latter has
been going through a new kind of transition. It
has been wavering between traditional and
Western models. The fast-changing social and
family environment has thrown up new
challenges particularly to the young people. The
decline in harmony can also be associated with
values that emphasize individualistic,
materialistic and self-oriented goals over family
well-being. Not only is the incidence of divorce
in Indian society increasing but also the
underlying causes of divorce have been
assuming a new dimension or getting a new
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impetus, if not entirely changing. With the
advancement of time, spread of education and
campaigns of human rights activists, divorce has
become a way to break free from the marital
clutches for many women. Couples facing
difficulties in equating their levels of
compatibility are now filing for divorce in order
to renew their life afresh. In a modern society,
dissolution of marriage derives from the idea
that living an independent life is better than
keeping marriages in terms of personal welfare.
As a decade ago, divorce was considered as one
of the dirtiest social phenomena’s in India is
now comfortably accepted for silly reasons.
Some have seen this as a sign of social and
moral disruption with a potential to shatter the
family institution and the foundations of society
itself.
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